QuickBooks Desktop Pro vs. QuickBooks Online Advanced

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
Score 8.0 out of 10
N/A
Quickbooks Desktop Pro is accounting software from Intuit, Inc. It includes core accounting features, plus analytics and exportable reports. It is offered in on-premise and SaaS forms.N/A
QuickBooks Online Advanced
Score 7.8 out of 10
N/A
QuickBooks Online Advanced is a SaaS-based accounting software designed to scale with growing businesses. It includes the functionalities of QuickBooks Online, as well as more robust business analytics, customization, and resource management.N/A
Pricing
QuickBooks Desktop ProQuickBooks Online Advanced
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
QuickBooks Desktop ProQuickBooks Online Advanced
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
QuickBooks Desktop ProQuickBooks Online Advanced
Considered Both Products
QuickBooks Desktop Pro

No answer on this topic

QuickBooks Online Advanced
Chose QuickBooks Online Advanced
Quickbooks online advanced is much simple and easier to use, so it fits better to the ticket of our small non-profit organization needs. The other options are either, or both, more pricy and complicated than the QuickBooks Online Advanced. For example, the implementation for …
Chose QuickBooks Online Advanced
Quickbooks has made their other products frustrating to use by eliminating features. Their feature bundling is annoying, confusing, and frustrating. QuickBooks Online Advanced or Pro or whatever their next marketing/sales idea fills me with dread.
Chose QuickBooks Online Advanced
QuickBooks Online Advanced is way more intuitive and can be used by multiple users simultaneously. The backup feature saves having a separate company provide that service to you. In addition, the assistance from QuickBooks Online Advanced is very good and reassuring when you …
Chose QuickBooks Online Advanced
Except for limited needs, the desktop program is much better and less costly before Intuit changed to a subscription model for desktop.
Chose QuickBooks Online Advanced
QBO has the benefit of saving to the cloud and being able to open in any browser without having to back up on a USB first. If my computer crashes I do not need to panic, I know my backup will be on the web.
Chose QuickBooks Online Advanced
QuickBooks Online Advanced is a highly powerful tool and provides the backbone for any accounting/finance department; however QB Enterprise is a much more robust product with more features. However, QB Enterprise requires a much higher investment in software and hardware to …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
QuickBooks Desktop ProQuickBooks Online Advanced
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
9.3
65 Ratings
22% above category average
QuickBooks Online Advanced
-
Ratings
Pay calculation9.961 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration9.835 Ratings00 Ratings
Direct deposit files9.853 Ratings00 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management9.949 Ratings00 Ratings
Reimbursement management7.350 Ratings00 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
7.9
39 Ratings
11% above category average
QuickBooks Online Advanced
8.5
90 Ratings
19% above category average
API for custom integration8.032 Ratings8.773 Ratings
Plug-ins7.836 Ratings8.478 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
8.5
93 Ratings
6% above category average
QuickBooks Online Advanced
8.2
160 Ratings
3% above category average
Single sign-on capability8.975 Ratings8.2143 Ratings
Role-based user permissions8.188 Ratings8.2156 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
8.4
108 Ratings
10% above category average
QuickBooks Online Advanced
8.6
173 Ratings
13% above category average
Dashboards9.693 Ratings8.8163 Ratings
Standard reports7.5108 Ratings8.8172 Ratings
Custom reports8.2106 Ratings8.2164 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
8.0
112 Ratings
8% above category average
QuickBooks Online Advanced
8.1
175 Ratings
9% above category average
Accounts payable9.7107 Ratings8.7169 Ratings
Accounts receivable7.5109 Ratings8.9164 Ratings
Cash management2.497 Ratings8.0145 Ratings
Bank reconciliation9.7108 Ratings8.2167 Ratings
Expense management8.899 Ratings8.5154 Ratings
Time tracking8.747 Ratings8.188 Ratings
Fixed asset management6.064 Ratings00 Ratings
Multi-currency support7.927 Ratings7.544 Ratings
Multi-division support5.752 Ratings8.374 Ratings
Regulations compliance7.239 Ratings7.977 Ratings
Electronic tax filing8.050 Ratings9.097 Ratings
Self-service portal9.738 Ratings8.692 Ratings
Global Financial Support7.015 Ratings00 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers8.837 Ratings8.673 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting7.438 Ratings6.874 Ratings
Localizations8.517 Ratings00 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations9.665 Ratings8.4151 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting9.733 Ratings6.863 Ratings
Configurable Accounting8.141 Ratings8.581 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework7.824 Ratings6.961 Ratings
Standardized Processes9.748 Ratings7.7115 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
6.7
56 Ratings
5% below category average
QuickBooks Online Advanced
8.1
70 Ratings
14% above category average
Inventory tracking6.553 Ratings8.170 Ratings
Automatic reordering6.132 Ratings00 Ratings
Location management6.229 Ratings00 Ratings
Manufacturing module8.216 Ratings00 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
7.3
70 Ratings
1% below category average
QuickBooks Online Advanced
8.8
118 Ratings
17% above category average
Pricing6.650 Ratings8.786 Ratings
Order entry7.449 Ratings8.879 Ratings
Credit card processing7.148 Ratings9.0103 Ratings
Cost of goods sold9.058 Ratings00 Ratings
Order Orchestration9.018 Ratings00 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility9.021 Ratings00 Ratings
Order exception Resolution3.216 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
QuickBooks Desktop ProQuickBooks Online Advanced
Small Businesses
QuickBooks Self-Employed
QuickBooks Self-Employed
Score 9.1 out of 10
QuickBooks Self-Employed
QuickBooks Self-Employed
Score 9.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Accounting Seed
Accounting Seed
Score 8.3 out of 10
Accounting Seed
Accounting Seed
Score 8.3 out of 10
Enterprises
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Score 8.1 out of 10
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Score 8.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop ProQuickBooks Online Advanced
Likelihood to Recommend
5.6
(124 ratings)
8.9
(175 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(18 ratings)
9.5
(6 ratings)
Usability
8.2
(31 ratings)
9.5
(4 ratings)
Availability
8.3
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
2.3
(29 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.0
(6 ratings)
6.5
(3 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
QuickBooks Desktop ProQuickBooks Online Advanced
Likelihood to Recommend
Intuit
I am only going to recommend it because it is currently ubiquitous, and most accountants prefer it at the moment. I do not stand by the company, and will not use the product any longer than I have to. [I believe] the support is lousy, the product is overpriced, but it does the basics of what we need. I'm very happy for all those outside Intuit who make their living supporting QuickBooks Desktop Pro; third-party support is desperately needed. They also doubled their prices for software upgrades this year, and require those who don't pay double what the last upgrade cost, to subscribe every year for $200. If one does not subscribe beyond the first year, one will not be able to use the software beyond the first year. They are moving to a rental model even for those who refuse to use the LOUSY QuickBooks online. They were good company once. Now they just turn out bloatware that everyone uses, so the rest of us have to. I look forward to the day that an honest, better-priced competitor wipes the floor with Intuit.
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Intuit
I gave this rating more from the standpoint that I enjoy using other bookkeeping platforms more than I enjoy QuickBooks Online Advanced. While QuickBooks Online Advanced is a solid platform that I have no issue working in, there are some areas that could be improved. The biggest of these areas is the overall design of the platform. I feel that when you first log in and are brought to the home screen, everything just looks cluttered.
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Pros
Intuit
  • It is easy to manage and adjust inventory on hand.
  • It is easy to make reports and customize them to your needs.
  • We also use it to pay our employees directly.
  • It is easy to make year-to-year comparisons to see where we can make improvements and the current financial situation.
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Intuit
  • It allows us to link to bank accounts in order to get up-to-date, real-time information, which is so important in today's lightning speed work world.
  • The "canned" reports are excellent and allow for extreme customization also. This makes them very helpful to both me and my clients.
  • The user interface for QuickBooks Online Advanced is easy to navigate and is intuitive for novices. The screens are well laid out and have cohesiveness on each screen to match tasks with others that match up well.
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Cons
Intuit
  • QuickBooks Desktop Pro has been around for a few years and after an update[,] they force you to look at the changes/updates before you can use [them] after updating.
  • QuickBooks Desktop Pro does not have 2FA.
  • QuickBooks Desktop Pro should offer a way to store backups to a personal cloud without having to map a local network drive.
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Intuit
  • Proper advice in QuickBooks Online Pro for the usage if QuickBooks Online Advanced will be more efficient.
  • More features and space in the app for organization of the self-created workflows.
  • The stability of QuickBooks Online Advanced can still be better.
  • There are still file-size issues and limitations on transactions and attributes of transactions.
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Likelihood to Renew
Intuit
We've used the program for more than 20 years in our firm both with clients and as our software. For the cost and value of the program it works well for our firms needs and desires for an accounting software program. At this point to switch would not make sense.
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Intuit
QuickBooks Online Advanced is not like any other accounting software. With how great the software is now, I would definitely renew QuickBooks Online Advanced
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Usability
Intuit
It is a great software that does everything a small business needs it to do, but there are just a few bugs and quirks that make additional software necessary. The slowness of the software occasionally might eventually be overshadowed by the quickness of cloud-based software though.
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Intuit
QuickBooks Online Advanced is great and effective. I use it for almost three months and it definitely does their job
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Reliability and Availability
Intuit
I haven't experienced a time when QuickBooks Pro was unavailable when I needed it in the entire 20 years of using the software
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Intuit
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Intuit
The support team is not always easy to use or able to understand the problems. There are some difficulties understanding [...] the issues the purchaser has and the solutions are sometimes hard to implement. A lot can be avoided if the users have adequate training and security is set up correctly at implementation.
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Intuit
No answers on this topic
In-Person Training
Intuit
Best thing I ever did was to attend a two day training seminar on QuickBooks, I learned an immense amount in a short time with hands on training by experts. I strongly recommend such training for anyone using any part of the software. It will pay for itself in the first month.
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Intuit
No answers on this topic
Online Training
Intuit
No answers on this topic
Intuit
The online training was easy to follow and understand. The online training gave us the specific instructions to follow
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Implementation Rating
Intuit
We implemented the software ourselves. The training we received on the software was done by taking a community course teaching us how to use QuickBooks. It allowed me to get started with some basics of how to use the program and have not needed much assistance since completing the course work.
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Intuit
Need to make an option for non-profit organizations
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Alternatives Considered
Intuit
Zoho had great end-user support and it was almost as simple to learn and was as easy to use. But its reports were not as [customizable] as QuickBooks Desktop Pro, and its job cost and department accounting [were] more cumbersome than QuickBooks Desktop Pro was. In addition, while I like an underdog (Zoho) the fact is that it is easier to find staff that [is] comfortable with QuickBooks Desktop Pro than anything else on the market.
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Intuit
I have not evaluated any yet. I have used QuickBooks since 2008 and I used Sage in the corporate environment before using QuickBooks. Honestly, I can't remember it because it was early 2000's. I thought about evaluating and looking because of the issues I've had with QuickBooks, but I haven't really investigated.
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Return on Investment
Intuit
  • QuickBooks Desktop Pro is a no hassle accounting solution that ticks a lot of boxes. It almost never disappoints and organizations will usually keep using it for many years. If anything, the only time I've seen an organization migrate away from it is if they have specific accounting needs, or if the organization has grown to the point that they need a more robust accounting solution. Even then, QuickBooks can usually be maintained within another accounting software system for specific functions, like A/R & A/P for example.
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Intuit
  • Positive - time and accuracy: Improved bank feeds with rules for automating categorization (expense account) of transactions.
  • Negative - time and efficiency: Very slow response in data entry such as estimates, purchase orders, invoices, sales receipts, bills & bill payment, and even check writing.
  • Negative - time and error correction: Payroll taxes and sales taxes remain in their own silos and are very difficult to correct OR wrong to correct with regular ledger and transaction entries.
  • Negative - time and reporting: Customer activity cannot be tracked using deposits or JE'd transactions. Reporting and research require the use of transaction forms such as invoices, sales receipts, payments, and credit memos. As an example, the transaction register for a customer can be sorted by various parameters. A default is "All" transactions but does not include all transactions -- you have to select "All plus deposits" and you will also not see checks. This is about the same for Vendor activity, where deposits (e.g. refunds) will not show in the vendor's activity register. A vendor credit memo is required, then the refund can be pushed against that credit balance. The credit memo will appear in the vendor register, but a deposit will not.
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